We all know how hard online dating can be. People aren’t always who they seem to be when we develop a connection with them online. Dating app Vibes wants to keep online dating as authentic as possible. The company promises to provide a safe environment for love seekers. It aims to do this by providing an experience which is as close to real life dating as possible while offering the convenience of online dating. Vibes does have the swipe functionality which is common to other dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge as well. The dating app was launched in July but has a very small user base of close to hundred people. Despite having such a small user base, the company has $1.5 million in funding. It is also looking to release a ”freemium” version of the app in the future. Vibes is operated by an all women staff and strives to keep itself unique from all other dating apps on the market. CEO of Vibes, Jenais Zarlin spoke to TechCrunch and had this to say, “Because of how crowded space is, when people hear the words ‘dating app’ they’re like ‘ugh, why do I need another one? My dance card’s full.” She further added, “But those same people are also the ones to say the ratio of good experiences to negative ones, or ones that feel transactional is way off.”

Zarlin pointed out the biggest flaw in online dating. She exclaimed that being semi-anonymous and texting make people behave abnormally. Their actions and words are different from what they would do and say on an actual date.

Vibes wants to base their whole business model on offering an authentic dating experience formed on respect. That’s is why Zarlin believes Vibes to be an online version of safe spaces. Vibes doesn’t have texting so provide a close as possible to real life dating experience When a user signs in they must agree to Vibes’ terms of service. These terms of service revolve around respect for each other and celebrating the differences. Vibes does not tolerate sexism, racism, transphobic behavior, misogyny or body shaming of any kind.

Overall, it doesn’t want its users to be sexually lewd or threatening. Once users agree to the code of conduct, they can start selecting people to “vibe” with, based on their preferred pronouns.

Users can select people based on him, her or them pronouns. Zarlin also believes in gender fluidity, stating people need to be more open minded and move past standard him or her pronouns. Users then select photos they want to make public and select a conversation starter. Once users get matched with someone they can send them a short pixelated video that answers their question. Pixelated videos can be really beneficial to people who are shy. Their potential mates will still be able to hear their voice and pick up on their mannerisms, similar to real life.

Vibes also keeps a close eye on the first interaction between its users. Vibes asks if the message they received was okay or not. Zarlin said, “2018 has been a very interesting year for a lot of reasons and there’s been dialogue around self-care, respect, and equality.” She further added, “We’ve never talked so much about those issues and yet I think we’re still not innovating around them, or not innovating enough. So Vibes really does to me feel like it has so much potential to be transformative and it was always designed with all of those ideas and values in mind.”

IT graduate from Pakistan’s National University of Science and Technology with a passion for writing. When not reading or writing, I can be found listening to rock and metal or playing some classic jams on my electric guitar. I’m also a big fan of horror movies.